The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1887-06-18
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
Christ flushing the Tempest on the
Sea OF Gaiiiee.

"
following In the Tabernacle al Brooklyn,
taking for his tent Mark Nv. $3.50; de-
scribing Christ sitting the tempest:
Tiberias, Galilee, Gennesaret-three
names for the same lake. No other
gem ever had so beautiful setting.
IL lay In a scene OF great luxuriance;
the surrounding hills. high. terraced,
sloped, groyed. SO many hanging gar
dens OF beauty, the waters rumbling
down between rocks of gray and red
limestone. flashing from the hills and
bounding into the sea. On the shore
were castles, armed towers, Roman
baths, everything attractive and beau
tiful; all styles of vegetation In shorter
space than almost any other space in
all the world. from the palm tree OF
the forest TO the tree of rigorous eli
mate.
IL seems as II we shall have quiet
night. Not leaf winked in the air;
not ripple disturbed the face of Gen
nesaret; but there seems TO be little
excitement up the beach, and we
hasten TO see what IL Is and we find Ii
an embarkation.
From the western shore hotilla
pushing out; not squadron. or deadly
armament, nor clipper with valuable
merchandise, nor pirate vessels ready
70 destroy everything they could seize;
but a flotilla. bearing messengers of
life. and light and peace. Christ is in
the front of the boat. His disciples
are In smaller boat. Jesus, weary
with much speaking TO large multi
tudes, Is put into somnolence by the
rocking of the waves. III there was
any motion at all the ship was easily
righted; IL the wind passed from star
board 70 larboard, or from larboard TO
starboard, the boat would rock, and by
the gentleness of the motion putting
the Master asleep.
Calm night, starry night, beautiful
night Run up all the sails. ply all the
oars. and.let the large boat and the
small boat glide over gentle Gennesa-
ret. But the sailors say there is going
TO be change of weather. And even
the passengers can hear the moaning
OF the storm, as IL comes on with great
stride, and all the terrors of hurricane
and darkness. The large boat trem-
bles like deer at bay among the
clangor Of the hounds; great patches
OF foam are flung into the air; the sails
OF the vessel loosen and the sharp
winds crack like pistols; the smaller
lboElS, hike petrels, poise On the cliff Of
she waves and tsel plunge.
saQwgboard 70 cargo, .1ckling and
r1ssts, and the drenched disciples rush
into the back part of the boat and lay
hold Of Christ, and say unto him:
Master, carest thou not that We perishi
That great parsonage lifts his head
from the pillow of the fsherman's
coat. walks to the front of the vessel
aud looks out into the storm. All
around him are the smaller boats.
driven in the tempest. and through IL
comes the cry of drowning men. BY
the flash OF the lightning | see the
calm brow Of Christ as the spray drop
ped from his beard. He has one word
for the sky and another for the waves.
Looking upward he cries:
sspeacep'
Looking downward he says:
ssBe still
The waves fall fiat on their faces,
the foam melts, the extinguished stars
relight their torches. The tempest
falls dead. and Christ stands with his
feet on the neck of the storm. And
while the sailors are bailing out the
boats, and while they are trying to I'M
tangle the cordage, the disciples stand
in amazement,n docking intothe calm
sea, then into the calm sky, then into
the calm Savior's countenance, and
they cry out:
"What manner Of man is this. that
even the winds and the sea obey
himY''
"The subject, in the first place, inn
presses me with the fact that II is
very important TO have Christ with
the ship; for all those boats would
have gone TO the bottom Of Gennesaret
IL Christ had not been present. Oh,
what lesson for you and for me TO
aearni We must always have Christ
in the ship. Whatever voyage we un-
-dertake, into whatever enterprise we
start let as always have Christ in the
ship.
There are men here who ask God 20
help them at the start of great enter
prises. He has been with them In the
past; no trouble can overthrow them;
the storms might come down from the
top Of Mount Hermon, and lash Gen
nesaret into foam and into agony, but
IL could not hurt them.